Roly-Poly Dolls | 6th Doctor

We’re getting closer and closer to the start of Doctor Who series 10! Today’s post for The Twelve-ish Doctor Dolls features a very colorful 6th Doctor doll. Colin Baker’s Doctor could be be a bit smug and irascible, but underneath it all he was still the same old Doctor with a heart of gold. And green. Maybe some plaid. Oh, how about some stripes and polka dots?! And this roly-poly doll captures all of the 6th Doctor’s energy and bravado.

Patterns:

The first step is to make the doll head and arms. Follow the directions in the pattern. See the posts for the 1st and 2nd Doctor dolls for more detailed photos. Next, paint the face. Once again, I painted the eyes blue. This time a sky blue. I’m sensing a real trend in the Doctor’s eye color. I recommend using a paintbrush with a fine tip or the head of a pin to paint on the fine details.

Unravel the crepe wool hair and use a steamer or a hair straightener to just slightly take out the curl. The 6th Doctor sports a curly hairdo, similar to the 4th Doctor’s but a little shorter and minus the sideburns. Apply glue along the hairline of the doll. Cut off small strips of the wool, stretch them out into a 1/2-inch line, and stick one end into the glue. Use more glue as needed to glue down the hair. Glue on more strips of wool hair as needed to fill in the hair. After the glue has dried, use scissors to trim off any excess hair. You can use some hair gel and hairspray to control any flyaway hairs.

Unless you’re extremely luck and manage to find a yellow fabric with thin black stripes, you’re going to have to settle for plain yellow fabric and draw on the stripes yourself. Then it’s time to sew together the waistcoat and trousers. Follow the directions in the pattern. While you’re doing that, don’t forget to fill a fold top sandwich bag with birdseed or rice and tie off the top. It should be about the size of an orange or a small softball.

The final step in making the waist coat and trousers involves gathering stitches around the neck of the doll. Here are some important tips to remember when gathering stitches:

Change the stitch length on your sewing machine to the longest stitch possible.

Do not back-stitch at the start or end of your line.

Make sure the two lines of stitches are parallel and do not cross paths.

Gather either all the top stitches or all the bottom stitches. Do not gather both the top and bottom.

Once the neck has been gathered and tied off, push the bag of birdseed through the bottom hole and tighten the drawstring. Tie off the drawstring.

Now it’s time to sew all of the accessories. First, sew the shirt and collar. Follow the directions in the pattern. Glue the shirt to the doll before gluing the collar around the neck of the doll using permanent adhesive. Fold back both ends of the collar and glue them down as well. Use pins to hold both in place while the glue dries. I then used a fine-tip red fabric marker to draw the question marks on the ends of the collar. Next, sew the Doctor’s blue and white polka dot necktie. Tie the length of fabric into a big, floppy bow and glue it between the ends of the collar. Use pins to hold it in place while the glue dries.

When I set out to create roly-poly dolls inspired by each incarnation of the Doctor, there are a few things that I was nervous about making. The 3rd Doctor’s Inverness cape, the 4th Doctor’s scarf, etc. But there’s nothing I dreaded more than recreating the 6th Doctor’s coat. Whoever got handed the job of making that coat deserves to be knighted, sainted, and whatever other honors you can think of because, holey moley, that thing is complicated!

I made the coat kinda like you would a patchwork quilt. You’re going to painstakingly sew each section onto the basic “framework” of the coat. Once all the sections have been sewn on, you can sew it just like all the other coats. See the instructions in the pattern for more details.

Just like with the fabric for the trousers, you’re going to have to draw the black stripes on the sleeves of the coat.

Use air-dry clay to recreate the 6th Doctor’s cat pin. I believe I heard somewhere that it was one of Colin Baker’s favorite things about his costume, so obviously I had to include it. Allow the clay to dry completely before painting it. Glue the finished pin to the coat lapel.

Paint a paper drink umbrella to look like the Doctor’s own multi-color umbrella. Because every technicolor coat needs a technicolor umbrella! Allow the paint to dry completely before gluing the umbrella in the doll’s hand.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you make a show-stopping 6th Doctor doll. And it would seem not a moment too soon. 😉 You’ve got to admit his costume does look pretty darn impressive in doll form.

Tomorrow’s installment of The Twelve-ish Doctor Dolls will show you have to make a charming 7th Doctor doll, complete with hat and umbrella.

What’s your favorite 6th Doctor episode or moment? Let me know in the comments below! I enjoyed “Revelation of the Daleks” and “Vengeance on Varos”. It would appear we’ve reached the end of this post. This is a situation that requires tact and finesse. Fortunately, I am blessed with both. In which case, I recommend sharing this post with all your friends!